Sweet Dreams Are Not Made Of These
by KitKatBuckyBear
Summary: Coral Sirena's adventure continues as she finds herself in a rather familiar situation. Will she suffer the same fate as her true family? Or will she prove she's more than just a pretty face? [[SONG IS FROM THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL; SEQUEL TO 'CARRY YOU DOWN INTO SLEEP']]
1. Some Of Them Want To Use You

She knew this would happen. Coral knew this would happen, and yet she still chose this day to venture out. She was doomed, and it was all her fault. Staring up at their faces, she knew this was how it was going to end.

"CORAL! GET BACK HERE! YOU KNOW THERE'S A STORM COMING!"

Hearing Brenda call out for her, Coral just rolled her eyes and kept swimming. Yes, there was a storm coming, and all of the mermaids could feel the shift in the waves, but that wasn't going to stop her. She couldn't stay near the family for too long without feeling out of place, even after all of these years. She had been taken in by them, but that didn't mean that she belonged there. If it wasn't for her friend Ariel, she would have left and survived solo years ago. However, the redheaded mermaid had helped her feel like she belonged somewhere. Ariel had been gone for several days, though, and Coral was worried. When someone asked where she had been going, she recently claimed she was searching for her friend. The truth was, though, that she had no idea where she had gone. Ariel was just as prone to searching for adventure as Coral was, but the blonde had a feeling that her friend had finally found danger she couldn't escape.

After nearly an hour of searching, though, she knew she had to turn back. Coral was reckless, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stay out for much longer before the storm hit, and she needed to find shelter. The rest of her family would be in caves where they normally slept, but not Coral. That was too far away. Thankfully, she had spotted a cave not too far away, maybe a half hour's swim. After all, it was the halfway point to home, and it was the best safe spot close by. Otherwise she risked being washed to shallower waters by the storm waves that were bound to approach. Taking one last look to the waters before her, hoping to see her friend, Coral gave out a heavy sigh before turning around and swimming back off towards the area where she saw the cave. Just as the water above her began to sound out the distinct audio of rain tapping the surface, she got to the cave, and as fast as she could, the blonde swam down into the cave.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one who had heard of the cave.

Swimming up towards here were countless silverfish, and she stopped, just staring at them. She knew they would just swim past her if she stayed still, and she was right. She was larger than they were, and they weren't the type of fish to attack if they knew they would loose. However, they also weren't the type to just swim /that/ fast without a reason. As the fish surrounded her, she glanced back up towards the surface, spotting the reason too late: A fishing boat.

Turning around again, Coral began to swim off, but she didn't get far before she felt the netting catching on her tail fin. She let out a scream as she turned around and leaned over, grabbing her fin as she tried as hard as she could to pry it loose. As she did this, though, the netting was being yanked upwards, closing in around the blonde mermaid and the silverfish that were unlucky enough to be caught in the deathtrap with her. Suddenly, the blonde and the fish broke the surface, the fish screaming out as they gasped for air. Coral, however, glanced around as fast as she could. That was when she saw them. She knew this would happen. Coral knew this would happen, and yet she still chose this day to venture out. She was doomed, and it was all her fault. Staring up at their faces, she knew this was how it was going to end.

The fishermen stared up at her in awe, their eyes wide in the pouring rain. The captain was still shouting at them, though, telling them to lower the 'cargo' onto the deck. One of the men ran over and did so, and before she knew it, she was hitting the hardwood flooring, staring up at two fishermen who were quickly grabbing her arms, dragging her away from her dying friends. She wasn't watching the flopping silverfish, though. Instead, her blue eyes just stared up at the men dragging her across the deck, her tail dragging on the wood. It hurt, but she was able to ignore that for the moment. She was too scared to feel pain on any level.

The men finally let her go, and she fell forwards, her hands shooting out to catch herself as she glanced upwards. Her hair was in her face, but she didn't dare push it out of her eyes. There was no telling what they would do if she moved too fast. Hearing heavy boot padding across the slippery deck, she glanced to the side, seeing what could only be the captain heading her way. He was dressed like the captains of the other boats she had seen. Hearing him let out a low whistle, she tried to pull herself towards the side of the ship. If she could get away, then maybe, just maybe, she could make it home before the storm got too bad. The fishermen were too fast, though, and one grabbed her arms and flipped her over before lifting her up, a second grabbing her tail. A third came to help with her tail the second she began to squirm. Looking to the captain, who had approached her in the meantime, she narrowed her eyes some. It wasn't typical of a mermaid to do so, but she wanted nothing to do with these men. She knew she couldn't charm her way out of this one, at least, not yet.

"Well well...and here I thought your kind was just a myth. LOOKS LIKE WE'VE CAUGHT OURSELVES THE REAL PRIZE, MEN! PUT HER BELOW DECK, MAKE SURE SHE'S IN WATER. WE GET BACK, WE'RE RICH!"

Coral began to squirm again as the men cheered, screaming out as loud as she could as they carried her away below deck.


	2. Some Of Them Want To Be Used By You

Time is a funny thing. Most men live their lives around it. Time decides when they eat, sleep, walk, leave home. In fact, there isn't a thing that time doesn't affect. Men are slaves of time, and despite their best efforts to defeat and overcome their worst enemy, most men fall victim to the years placed upon them.

While the lives of mermaids were much longer, in the endthe creatures of the sea were no different, and Coral had lost track of time. Whether it had been only a few days, or a full week, she wasn't sure. From her place in the belly of the ship she was captive on, she couldn't see a window. She couldn't tell how many times the sun had risen and fallen during her time on the ship, the meals being brought to her the only indication that any time had passed at all. Still, that didn't mean that they were feeding her as often as she normally fed, and the meals seemed to contain fish, making the mermaid sick to her stomach. It was almost canabalism for her to eat one of the silverfish she had been pulled in with.

Therefore, she had barely eaten during her time on the ship, and she was growing weak. Having picked at the tough bread they gave her, she was strong enough to talk and look around, seeing as she was chained to the wall of the ship. She couldn't walk. She couldn't attack. She couldn't escape in any way. Coral was trapped.

The blonde's arms were wrapped around her legs as she stared at the door, waiting for her next meal. She had dried off after being brought down there, and their captain was...kind enough to let her borrow some of his clothes to wear in the meantime. She knew that once they landed, they would throw her into water again and sell her to the highest bidder. It wasn't a fate she had ever imagined herself having, but the more she thought about it, she was most likely living out the fate her own mother had lived. Hearing the door open and the natural light of the moon peak in, she moved so her legs were laying by her side, not unlike her tail on a rock, her head held high as they placed the bread roll and cooked fish in front of her. She didn't even look at it, knowing what was on the plate.

"There y'are, Mermaid. A nice piece'a meat for ya." The sailor was clearly drunk, his tone more than intoxicated. Coral could smell it on him, too. This sailor had been drinking for hours, and if he continued the route he was on, time would catch up with him sooner than his fate originally intended. Therefore, she could handle being called 'mermaid' instead of her name that she had been forced into telling them. However, hearing the silverfish being called 'a nice piece of meat', her eyes narrowed, and she grabbed the plate before throwing it at him. The man barely dodged it, the fish landing on his shoulder. He quickly grabbed it and threw it down on the floor, Coral purposely keeping her blue eyes on him. If she looked down at the fish, she would be sick.

"I am assuming you were unaware that the silverfish you have murdered all had names, had families, had lives. And yet you treat them like they are dirt. Have men no respect?" Her voice spat out as much venom as she could muster, though her siren blood continued to keep her seductive voice light enough to prevent it from being as threatening as she meant and as disgusted as she felt. The sailor was silent for a moment before proceeding to burst out in laughter. Coral's heart sank as the feeling of defeat started to take over her. However, it was quickly replaced by rage, the sailor's response only fueling the fire in her heart.

"Right, then apologize t'George while you're eatin' 'im, alright?" Just hearing the sailor disregard the feelings and life of another living creature caused her to snarl at him. Unfortunately, her fangs were hidden still due to the air around her rather than water. That, though, was a mistake. Before she could finish hissing out at him, his hand landed roughly on her cheek, tossing her entire body to the cold floor. She winced just slightly, her hand lightly touching the area he had slapped while moving to look at him again. She gasped, though, finding him down at her level, his face inches from hers, just staring at her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath stronger than any sailor before, and it sent chills down her spine. She wasn't sure what he would do, let alone what he was capable of. "Listen 'ere, mermaid. You're OURS now, no matter what the captain says. We own you, you see, 'til we get to shore. Then we sell ya. There's no more fishy friends for ya, no more swimmin' 'less the people who buy ya say otherwise, and most importan'ly, there's no more pickin' what ya eat. So you eat that fish an' get over it. Oh, an' get use to those legs of yours. They're a good pair."

The sailor grinned at her, patting her thigh as if to make a point. The only point he made, though, was of making Coral jump and gasp again before watching him walk off, the fish and the bread both out of her reach. Even if she could reach them, though, any appetite she once had was now gone, replaced by the sailor's words. 'No more swimming' was what he said, but what she had heard was 'no more home'. The ocean was her home, no matter where in the ocean she was. She knew that now. So to hear that she wouldn't be going home again sent a shiver down her spine. Chills weren't all she got, though. The second the door to her little spot on the ship closed, a plan began to play before her eyes. She was going to escape, and she was going to take every sailor on that ship down into the ocean with her. Curling up on the floor, she pulled her legs to her chest and shut her eyes, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the ship instead of the drunken cheers of the sailors above desk.


	3. Some Of Them Want To Abuse You

Life. Man is it's slave, no matter how much man tries to control it. Life can lead one on many adventures, or life can keep one locked away. Some try to escape the prison, but in the end, life traps every man.

Mermaids are no different.

Sitting trapped in the room below deck, Coral's blue eyes stayed locked on the door blocking her escape. It was only a matter of time before the sailor returned with her meal, his hangover most likely causing him to drag his feet that day. While she couldn't tell when the sun rose and sank, she could tell he was late, her stomach gurgling louder than before her previous meal. Even so, she could clearly hear the footsteps of the crew above her. Part of her wondered if they were punishing her for the near attack she had given the sailor who had brought her meal for the night. Part of her wondered if they had forgotten her already.

It wasn't too long after those thoughts crossed her mind that she saw the door opening, light from the sun pouring into the room as the sailor followed, the plate with her food in hand. This was her chance of escaping. However, she couldn't do so while her leg was still chained to the wall behind her. Despite the hatred for the man before her that resided in her heart, she knew she had to do what sirens and mermaids did best. Looking up at him as he dropped the plate near her, the previous night still clearly in the front of his mind, she reached out and gently grabbed his pants leg. Keeping her voice soft this time, she tugged downwards, gesturing towards the spot next to her.

"...Please. It's rather lonely in here."

Clearly the sailor took the double meaning, just as she had hoped, the glimmer in his eyes and smirk on his face speaking those thoughts without a word. Glancing to the door, he moved to sit down next to the mermaid, his eyes locked on hers. She didn't even blink, staring at him as well with a small hint of a smile on her face. He was already falling for it, and she had barely spoken a word to him before the previous day. Leaning in towards him, she ignored the food on her plate and slid it away without a glance towards the plate, her voice just loud enough for him to hear her clearly while keeping her song quiet enough to prevent other sailors from hearing it. This was a special song, just for the man in front of her.

"...The ship, it swayed, heave ho, heave ho,  
On the dark and stormy blue,  
And I held onto the captain's might,  
As he pulled up his dues.  
'You haven't slept', heave ho, he said,  
'In many suns and moons',  
'Oh I will sleep with we reach shore,  
And pray we get there soon'..."

The sailor leaned forward, his hand moving to stroke her hair gently. It was...odd to feel the a man touch her in that way, but at the same time, it was comforting. He was so sure and trusting of her presence, locking away his fate to end his life by her hand. That trust was something she had never felt with another creature, man or merman.

"He said 'Now hush love, here's your gown,  
There's the bed, lanterns down',  
But I don't want to go to sleep..."

His lips were nearly on hers.

"In all my dreams I drown..."

Without another word, Coral grabbed his throat with her hands, pushing all of her weight onto his body as she slammed him down onto the floor of the ship. He instantly began to claw towards her in an attempt to break free from her grip. However, Coral was stronger than he was, even with as little to eat as she had gotten over the past, lost days. She didn't let go of his throat, either, until he was laying on the floor, his eyes void of all life and his hands still. Quickly searching his pockets, she grabbed the key to her ankle and fumbled with the lock. Before long, the shackle fell to the floor, clanking as she scrambled to her feet. Someone had to have heard that, and it wouldn't be long before the sailors began to corner her. She wasn't going to give them that chance, though.

Exiting the room, the blonde didn't even look around as she headed for the stairs. Some men were calling at her, and a few others were scrambling towards her. She was their chance at a life new, but she wasn't going to give it to them. She was going to get off that boat, and she was going to swim home again.

One of them grabbed her, though, and she instantly snapped around, her hand gripping his throat as she threw him back into the others. They fell down together, and they were clearly not getting up anytime soon, especially the one she threw. She couldn't help but smirk slightly. They were in a /lot/ of trouble. Turning back around, she began to walk up the stairs again, this time not stopping until she was on top of the deck. Unfortunately, though, the captain was waiting for her, and the second she closed the door, he popped around from the stairs, grabbing her and slamming her into the door with his hands on her shoulders. The mermaid began to struggle, gripping his wrists, but not biting them. She hated the taste of blood, especially fresh, but that wouldn't stop her from doing so if needed.

Now was not one of those times. After a few moments of struggling, she finally was able to get his hands off of her, gripping the man's wrists as tightly as she could before twisting him around and dragging him with her. He was the reason she was in this mess, and he was going to suffer for it. Coral didn't hesitate one second as she ran towards the deck edge, jumping into the water as the captain screamed for help. Help didn't come, though, and it never would. The second she touched the water, her tail, which she had missed dearly, finally reappeared, and she couldn't help but grin. Turning to the sailor in her grip, she hissed at him, revealing her fangs to him. He tried to scream again, but all he did was empty his lungs of air. He tried to swim away, too. Coral, however, had different plans. Turning around, she began to swim /under/ the boat, dragging the man with her the entire time. By this point, she only had to hold him with one hand to keep him there, and so she did. Using her other hand, she began to punch holes into the boat, wincing a few times. It took longer than she expected, too, and by the time she had enough holes in the bottom, the sailor had drowned. His friends would follow his lead, too.

Coral, however, wasn't sticking around to see it. Letting the captain fall to the sea floor, the ship starting to sink down as well, the mermaid turned towards the current and began to swim as fast as she could. She didn't know where she was going, but /anywhere/ was better than there...


End file.
